In the Hindu tradition, the real Guru is regarded as the divine him/herself. A Guru is the only one who dispels the darkness within one, and then leads one to the light which is burning within oneself. S/he guides one spiritually, without being didactic or dictatorial. A guru enables one to become a better human being and accept one’s flaws. A guru is blessed with divine grace.

The question commonly asked is: can one change one’s guru? It is possible to learn from one’s guru and then advance spiritually, however one never forgets one’s original teacher. In most cases the new guru, will whisper the same mantra given in the ears of the disciple. It is also mentioned in the Srimad Bhagwatam that some individuals have multiple gurus.

A gift of understanding

My Guru, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, encouraged one to listen to what other gurus were preaching and teaching. He said an open mind was essential. Dear ones, you know what happened to me, the more discourses I attended, the closer I became to my guru. He was fearless and was not afraid of his disciples leaving him. He knew that is also a learning process as each guru gives one a gift of understanding oneself better and makes one an advanced seeker.

There are some interesting facts which I will share with you. The Guru’s feet are the focus, according to the book ‘What is Hinduism’? It explains it in a very concise way.

According to the tradition the totality of the guru is contained within his/her feet. All nerve currents terminate there. The vital points of every organ of the body… are there. Touch the feet and you touch the spiritual master.

So why do we touch the feet of the guru? We touch the feet because the feet are the source of his/her power. We show our respect for the whole person.

Last but not least a Guru is human. S/he is not God. A Guru teaches one to be free from fear and negativity. Embrace the teachings of your Guru and you will learn to distinguish right from wrong.

Aim Hrim Klim